earwigs and beer

Factual Questions
1

The other day when I was moving my home brew from the primary fermenter to the carboy I noticed that a couple of earwigs had fallen in (B*stards).

First I thought: Hundreds of years ago all sorts of vermin must have fallen in vats and yet people lived. Then I thought about the famous snail in the gingerale bottle.

Then I thought: Perhaps the alcohol in the developing beer might sterilize any unkind anti-bodies. Then I thought what if (like many insects) earwigs carry harmful bacteria which are growing like wildfire in the warm moist brew?

I’m tired of thinking about it now. Is the stuff safe to drink? I would really, really hate to dump the stuff out.

2

Just be glad the slugs didn’t find it. They truly love beer.

Were it me…I’d drink it. But I wouldn’t offer it to my friends while telling this story.

:slight_smile:

3

Isn’t there a way you can pastuerize it (not that I would want to drink even a pastuerized earwig)?

4

I’ve never heard of this. Can you tell us about it?

5

davidm I am with you on this one…I want to hear about the snail too
PUHLEASEEEEEE!!!

6

The snail in the gingerbeer bottle is a British civil law precedent (Donoghue v. Stevenson (1932) HoL A.C. 562) commonly used at Common Law to support cases of manufacturer’s liability (failure of duty of care) to the end user of products.

Someone bought someone (Donoghue) a gingerbeer. She drank it, found a snail in it, got sick, couldn’t claim damages because the manufacturer (Stevenson) had no contact with the drinker. The House of Lords overturned the decision.